Wal-Mart suffers a blow... Options

[pysex]

my main problem with new york is the people that live there...

i don't know if their attitudes have changed since 9/11 but i've had family members (that live in the niagra falls area) tell me that many new yorkers can be some of the world's worst assholes

now down here we get a bunch of ignorant fuckup redneck country boys.... but i'd take ignorance over snooty anyday

[Hartmann]

man I love boston. what a rad city. it's the kind of place that you just feel smarter being there...if that makes any sense?

when I was in NY one of my buddies was in school in cambridge so I'd head down to visit him and vice-versa.

first time I arrived there after living in NY for 6 months I was flabbergasted at how nice boston was. like NY is...well NY. cross between "taxi driver" and "sex in the city". but boston, man the T was clean and nice!! and you could actually see the sky.

but where he lived it was just as pricey as where I was. the difference being the style in which they lived. it was in those 4 story, skinny flats with access to each floor and a very communal/open feel as opposed to my "Jeffersons" style with the doorman, locked doors, deal.

there were like 8 people living in that thing and they all shared a kitchen on I think the 2nd floor. it was odd to me.

NYU only leased one floor at our apt...so the rest were these super uptight wall st. types. So imagine Joe Banker's consternation every morning as he heads to work...when he gets on his millionaire elevator with the elevator dude (I don't know why there's a dude in a semi military uniform to push the button for your floor, but whatever)...and he sees my dumbass living in his high rise. I relished the looks on their faces. They'd all thought they'd "made it"...and here's some crappy college kid from texas.

also, cambridge is populated with a bunch of eccentric brainiac weirdos, whereas I was in school with princes and long island mob daughters and shit.

No I understand what you mean... The people there know that the city that surrounds them is living history and they appreciate it. One lady saw me taking a picture of the state house (the gold dome in "The Departed") and came up to me and talked to me about it.

The Cambridge area, especially closer to Harvard, is extremely nice and there is a good mix of people. We saw a guy, who was young and homeless, begging by saying "Homeless because I chose Brown, the special-ed school of the Ivy League"... I mean, seriously, humorous and intelligent homeless people? That's awesome.

NYC just seems unappealing to me, you've got 8 million people living a space the size of the area within the 610 loop (303 miles of usable NYC, 310 miles inside the loop), that's nuts to me.

[cupcake]

pysex...I think that is a pretty common observation. I was around some real assholes in NY. it's millions of international people in on a tiny island.

but my experience was that the snots weren't native new yorkers. they were transplants..."cool" hipsters, trendy wannabee theater/actor/model/musician types, and snotty stock types.

I think they are what people encounter when they talk about rude new yorkers...considering that a huge part of the population.

but I worked with a bunch of crappy brooklyn skater guys and gals and holy shit were they nice people. like real touchy feely always hugging and slapping five and just real affectionate, like kissing the co-worker girls goodnight ont he cheek when we left work.

and then you have to factor in that the natives are used to just a revolving door/influx of people and are not used to seeing the same people everyday. when you're stuffed in with a bunch of people many of whom are weirdos or rude themselves, you tend not to do the "howdy" to everyone you meet.

however, once a waiter, door guy, bartender, etc sees you a couple more times, you'd be suprised how they think you're best friends. like they are really intersted in you and your life and care about you.

for example those guys who sell black market oakleys or rolexes out of the brief cases to tourists on the weekend. the first time he sees you he tries to sell you a bill of goods. next weekend, you're at the same bus stop and you see him hitting up the tourists again, and he sees you and just walks over and slaps five and is all "what's up brother?" and you start talking about how he's faring that day. then he asks you what you do there, and the next time he sees you he's all interested in how shool's going. it's wild.

I called it gradual intimacy (NY) versus instant familiarity (texas).

there are good people everywhere in the world.

[pysex]

That's good to know. I know that most everywhere you go you'll find some genuine down to earth folks. I guess it's just that New York is too busy and too big for their to be any personal feelings for me.

That same kind of asshole influx is happening in Austin right now. People are moving from California because of living expense and moving to Central Texas. I can tell you though...that kind of attitude they bring here won't settle too well with the natives. Texans don't take shit.

[cupcake]

nice observation on austin!

my brother lives there and man that place has changed the past 10-15 years big time.

changed for the lame...

[FORSAKENR320]

That's good to know. I know that most everywhere you go you'll find some genuine down to earth folks. I guess it's just that New York is too busy and too big for their to be any personal feelings for me.

That same kind of asshole influx is happening in Austin right now. People are moving from California because of living expense and moving to Central Texas. I can tell you though...that kind of attitude they bring here won't settle too well with the natives. Texans don't take shit.

those hippies can take their granola-whole-wheat enemas and get on back to their own homes

::loads shotgun::

[griseyeux]

I kind of want to move to austin. *shrug*

[Spectatrix]

I kind of want to move to austin. *shrug*

Oh, Austin's still fine. Don't let Alex scare you off.

[pysex]

No No. Austin is still a pretty fucking awesome city. The Californians have sort of made their own community in the western portion of the city where a lot of rich people live. Westlake, Bee Caves, and Lakeway...just to name a few. They are expanding more out towards the lakes in Central Texas but Austin is the closest major city.

[GOB]

californians ruin every city worth living in. denver is another example.

[The Fanatic]

[pysex]

Californians are like the walmart virus. They spread and bring about destructive changes in the local economy.

[The Fanatic]

Do they bring low prices and cheap labor too?

[FORSAKENR320]

Do they bring low prices and cheap labor too?

on prostitution, maybe

[chook]

californians ruin every city worth living in. denver is another example.

Screw you, I'm a native son! Its the socal people that do it.